Minister must heed Women’s Refuge warning

A warning that
budget cuts could lead to the introduction of waiting lists
for some of New Zealand’s most at-risk women is stark
evidence that the Government is not interested in dealing
with violence in our society, Labour’s Women’s Affairs
spokesperson Carol Beaumont says.

“Women’s Refuge says
waiting lists could be the consequence of its budget being
slashed. At the same time violence is increasing, with
almost 32,000 family violence victims being contacted by
refuges last year following police intervention. That’s
more than double the number in 2007.

“It’s
disgraceful that women and children who want and need to
leave violent relationships may be forced to stay in them
because this Government has shaved hundreds of thousands off
safe house services,” Carol Beaumont said.

“As it is
Women’s Refuge over-deliver on the funding they receive
from Government. That funding only meets 60% of the cost of
their residential services - the rest comes through
donations and fundraising.

“When a woman finally does
make a decision to leave these relationships, it is usually
because there is a real risk of significant harm for them
and their children. The ability to safely house them is of
fundamental importance.

“Paula Bennett and her
Associate, Tariana Turia, need to recognise they have made a
mistake here. Cutting funding in this area is not on. Just
this week we had a United Nations report (In Pursuit of
Justice – Progress of the World’s Women 2011 – 2012)
that showed New Zealand has the highest rates of physical
and sexual violence in the OECD,” Carol Beaumont
said.

“As a country we have to do something to change
the culture of violence that pervades society. To do that we
need to focus both on the prevention of it, and supporting
the services provided to those wanting to escape it.

“The cuts and piecemeal approach of this Government is
in stark contrast to the 12-year multi-million dollar
framework for action to reduce violence announced by the
Labour Government in Australia. The National Government has
an obligation to actively support those working to stop
violence and to support those in vulnerable, volatile
situations. It has failed on both counts,” Carol Beaumont
said.
ends

Scoop Citizen Members and ScoopPro Organisations are the lifeblood of Scoop.

20 years of independent publishing is a milestone, but your support is essential to keep Scoop thriving. We are building on our offering with new In-depth Engaged Journalism platform - thedig.nz.
Find out more and join us:

The focus of Labour’s alleged sexual assault scandal has now shifted from the party organisation to the Beehive... This is now a crisis of Beehive management and response, not something occurring at a distance within the party organisation.

Presumably, the QC appointed to clarify what happened will eventually shed light on key issues. Such as: on what date prior to the publication of the original Spinoff article did the party hierarchy/PM’s office/PM’s press secretary realise they were dealing with a sexual assault allegation, and what did they do about it at that point? More>>

ALSO:

An official pardon for Tūhoe prophet and leader Rua Kēnana is one step closer after the Te Pire kia Unuhia te Hara kai Runga i a Rua Kēnana: Rua Kēnana Pardon Bill was read in Parliament for the first time today. More>>

“We have listened carefully to the growing calls from New Zealanders to know more about our own history and identity. With this in mind it makes sense for the National Curriculum to make clear the expectation that our history is part of the local curriculum and marau ā kura in every school and kura,” Jacinda Ardern said. More>>

Jacinda Ardern: “This morning I was provided some of the correspondence from complainants written to the party several months ago. It confirms that the allegations made were extremely serious, that the process caused complainants additional distress, and that ultimately, in my view, the party was never equipped to appropriately deal with the issue…" More>>

A recent trip to China has raised questions over who the Opposition leader Simon Bridges met with and why... Anne-Marie Brady, a Canterbury University professor and expert on Chinese politics, has described Guo Shengkun as the leader of the Chinese secret police. More>>

Torture is a crime under international law. New Zealand has signed (a) the UN convention against torture and (b) formal agreements about how armed conflict should be conducted. That’s the legal backdrop to the fascinating report released this week by the SIS Inspector-General.